Trouble In The Caucus?

Yes, I know Max Pizarro already wrote about this. But perhaps I can shed some new light on the rift within Democratic party.

Apparently some members believe that Christie is “cleaning their clock.” Meaning that the Democrats have been panicking a bit over how to respond to the hard-charging Governor who has clearly tapped into public anger over taxing and spending.

At least 20 Dem legislators wanted to use the new proposed millionaire’s tax for a handful of causes and not just for senior rebates. There is a concern that by only rewarding seniors, it looks like the party is pandering.

I asked Sweeney about that Thursday and he said “Everyone has a host of things they would like helped out or restored.” However, seniors “were the largest single group” they could assist with what is actually a limited pool of money ( $637 million from the tax, according to OLS ).

There was also some disappointment that the Dem leaders held their big presser on Monday morning a half hour before the Governor stole the show by unveiling his tool kit. Some are complaining that the Democratic leaders knew about Christie’s plan for Monday press conference for over a week and they should not have allowed his message to overshadow theirs.

All of this underscores a feeling among some that Sweeney needs to be more forceful. But clearly others in the party understand that they can’t fight The Governor on everything.